Resident Evil 4: Cursed Blood (Leon Kennedy x OC)

{•Chapter Six•}

In the hallway, Gwen waited for Leon to return. She hugged her knees, memories rushing back to the time she was nearly strangled by the tyrant in Raccoon City. When she felt the chief's hand around her throat, it felt exactly like the tyrant's from six years ago. Her fear of the large man worsened as she still felt she was trapped in his grip as if it were a phantom pain.

Gwen cascaded her fingers around her neck and winced when she skimmed over the blooming bruises. From in the hallway, she heard struggling in the bedroom and the sound of a gun going off accompanied by the shattering of glass. She wanted to go after Leon, but she kept repeating what the chief had called her.

Vile creature

The young woman was curious as to how the man knew about her blood, but at the same time, she felt her insecurities emerging from the shadows. She thought she had fought and destroyed her demons, but it seems they've only been hiding in the shadows the entire time.

The archivist delved too deep into her dark thoughts and failed to notice Leon was kneeling right in front of her. She didn't budge or blink as his gloved hands cradled her face gently. It was as if she was trapped in a trance. "Gwen."

No response.

"Gwen, what's wrong?" Leon asked, worry filling his voice. As the woman's silence and petrified behavior caused his concern to blossom, he snapped his fingers a few inches from her face. "Come on. Tell me what's wrong, sweetheart," he mumbled, mostly to himself.

Next, the blonde tried to rouse her by shaking her shoulders. "Gwen, snap out of it."

Silence.

Leon was clueless as to what to try next until an asinine idea popped into his mind. He doubted it would work, but it was the only other thing he knew that could possibly shock her out of her doll-like state.

As he was about to try his ridiculous theory, Gwen blinked a few times and inhaled sharply. "Sorry, Leon. I was completely lost in thought."

The blonde sighed in relief. "Kind of freaky how you were frozen up like that. You looked like a doll."

Gwen let another small apology slip from her lips before questioning what happened in the bedroom. "What happened in there? I heard gunfire and glass breaking."

"The 'big cheese' happened, but someone saved me. Bastard jumped out of the window trying to go after whoever it was," Leon replied.

Gwen stared into his sapphire eyes with her own lapis ones. She was curious about the stranger who saved him and by the look in his eyes, she could tell he had a theory on who it was. "Now you're the one holding back on me. Who do you think it was?"

"I wasn't able to get a good look, but they were wearing a red dress," Leon hesitantly responded. "I'm not going to draw a conclusion yet."

Only one name came to mind when Gwen heard "red dress," but she decided to drop the subject. "It's for the best. Let's go find that church and save Ashley."

Leon followed Gwen as she stood up. As she got to her feet, he couldn't help but eye the bruises forming around her neck. He tore his eyes from the sight with a nod. "Yeah, let's go."

The duo hadn't even taken two steps forward when the radio in Leon's pocket blipped. The blonde grabbed the device and accepted the incoming transmission.

*****
"Leon, Gwen, I've been able to get some new info that might help you."
*****

"Fill us in," Leon responds as Gwen stood beside him, listening closely.